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eSelection ID 83325
Uzbekistan: Horezm Roads Project - Feasibility Study
EBRD’s Response to Requests for Clarifications

Q1. We kindly request an extension the submission date enable us to submit a competitive
proposal.
A1. The deadline for the submission of proposals has been extended to 15th July 2020.

Q2. Could you please clarify whether the company which will be awarded the Feasibility
Study will be allowed to participate in the downstream opportunities (selection of
Construction Supervision and Project Management Consultant)?
A2. Being selected as a Feasibility Study consultant is not expected to have any negative
impact on being selected for any other assignment.

Q3. The ToR mentions figures of Euro 60,000 for the traffic studies and Euro 25,000 for the
Local FS report. Are these considered parts of the Euro 490,000 budget given or in addition?
A3. The total estimated assignment cost is EUR 490,000.00. The estimated assignment
cost is expected to cover all tasks defined in the Terms of Reference (“ToR”).

Q4. How are the costs of the noise, vibration, air and water quality tests to be paid - also as
additions? Likewise any archaeological studies that may be necessary?
A4. The total estimated assignment cost is EUR 490,000.00. The estimated assignment
cost is expected to cover all tasks defined in the ToR. If during the assignment it becomes
necessary to amend the scope of the ToR, these will be dealt with separately.

Q5. The ToR says that background information is to be used ‘if available’. As the PS link
selection process will depend largely on appraisal of such data, what arrangements are to be
made for additional field work that may be needed to fill ‘gaps’ – perhaps a Contingency
allocation?
A5. Field investigations are included in Task 1.1 (see also the answer to question 51).
Moreover, the reimbursable survey costs may be used for additional surveys, subject to
available funds. The consultant may propose a larger traffic survey cost, if they deem it
necessary (see also the answer to question 12). The total estimated assignment cost is EUR
490,000.00 and the consultant’s proposal should reflect the best allocation of funds to
tasks in the consultant’s view.

Q6. The ToR mentions some ‘due diligence’ studies to be undertaken by other consultants.
Rather than working in parallel, can it be assumed that those experts will only be engaged after
this FS work is complete?
A6. No, detailed Environmental and Social Due Diligence is likely start closer to the end
of the Feasibility Study.

Q7. The ToR indicates that the eventual FS work will be subject to a ‘lump sum’ contract with
payments made for approved deliverables. The age amounts for each are not shown nor is an
‘advance payment’. Is it to be assumed that these will only be addressed at the future contract
negotiations stage?
A7. The contract payment terms will be agreed with the selected consultant.

Q8. Would the involvement in this feasibility study restrict the consultant to bid for any of the
downstream work?

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A8. Please see the answer to question 2.

Q9. Can you please confirm if there is any existing traffic model or HDM4 model available
that the consultant will get access to?
A9. The Bank is not aware of any existing traffic or HDM model.

Q10. The ToR suggest the consultant can engage a local consultant to prepare the local
feasibility study. In such case the local consultant will have to have all the licenses and
certificates required by the Uzbek law. Can the client clearly specify what are those license
and certificates? Also, if the consultant do not engage a local consultant to prepare the local
FS, is the international consultant is liable to meet this requirements?
A10. i) No; however, we generally expect the local consultant to have meaningful
experience in preparing local feasibility studies, including under the decree of the
President of Uzbekistan №3857 from 16 July 2018, which would likely mean that they
already have appropriate licenses and certificates in place ii) No; however, given the
specific nature of the task, the consultant is expected to either hire a local firm or have
its own staff with experience of preparing local feasibility studies.

Q11. Can you please confirm if the budget EUR 25,000 specified for the Local Feasibility
study is included within the overall estimated budget of EURO 490,000? Or this is a separate
item?
A11. It is included in the estimated assignment cost. Please see question 3.

Q12. Can you please confirm if the budget EUR 60,000 specified for the traffic survey is
included within the overall estimated budget of EURO 490,000? Or this is a separate item?
A12. It is included in the overall estimated assignment cost. Please see question 3.
The Consultant should include this amount in the financial proposal, or such higher
amount which may be deemed appropriate by the Consultant. As a reimbursable cost,
the Bank shall reserve full discretion over total or partial use of the available survey
budget.

Q13. Can the consultant propose two individuals for Legal and Institutional experts roles?
The task clearly cannot be perform by one individual.
A13. As per the procurement notice, one role could be filled by more than one person.

Q14. We understand the consultant needs to provide two work plans to take Covid-19 into
consideration. Are you also expecting two financial proposals to reflect these two scenarios?
A14. Consultants are only required to submit one financial proposal for evaluation. It
is assumed that a financial proposal including international travel would be of a higher
amount than a financial proposal without. Please submit the higher of the two
budgets. Final arrangements will be agreed with the selected consultant during contract
negotiation.

Q15. The estimated budget (EURO 490k) to carry out 220km road feasibility seems to be low
and will constrain some of the tasks. Can you please confirm if the budget can be increased?
Are you okay for the consultant to propose a higher budget? Or would it disqualify the
submission?
A15. The total estimated assignment cost is EUR 490,000. It is up to the consultant in
their professional expertise to come up with a proposal that best meets our
requirements. Consultants will not be disqualified from this selection if they exceed the

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total estimated assignment cost. All financial proposals that are eligible for evaluation
as per Procurement notice will be opened for evaluation and they will be evaluated in
the manner specified and according to the methodology described in the Procurement
Notice.

Q16. Is this an invitation is for EOI or Request for Proposals (both for Technical and
Financial)?
A16. This is a Single Stage Open Competitive Selection – Request for Proposals.
Consultants should prepare their proposals in accordance with the submission
requirements as described in procurement notice.

Q17. Does the page limit for the technical submission include items like a front
cover, contents list etc.
A17. The cover page and contents list are excluded from the page limit.

Q18. Please confirm that EBRD London office is where the contract is based.
A18. It is expected that the contract will be signed between the consultant and the
Bank, with its principal office in London.

Q19. Can a list of available data be provided please?

A19. No. While the Bank requested preliminary information from the government, the
selected consultant would need to prepare a data request and liaise with the
government.

Q20. Are there any expectations regarding the number and structure of
workshops/presentations throughout the project?
A20. Subject to COVID-19 related restrictions, we expect the consultant to organise an
initial kick-off meeting and workshops/presentations for each Draft PIP and Draft Final
report.

Q21. Due to potential COVID-19 travel restrictions two work plans are required to
be provided. Please confirm if these should just be presented as a second gantt
chart. If a second gantt chart is required can additional space be allowed in the
technical submission to allow for it?
A21. Yes, please provide a second Gantt chart, if you believe this is the optimal solution.
Two additional pages could be allowed you are adding a second Gantt chart.

Q22. Do EBRD require a bank guarantee for the mobilisation payment. If this is
needed and cannot be provided could the payment be made to a sub-consultant
instead?
A22. The Bank requires a bank guarantee for advance payments in excess of
EUR 29,999.00. Payments under this contract will be made to the contracted consultant
only.

Q23. Can EBRD pay fees directly to sub-consultants or will all payments go via the
Lead Consultant?
A23. Payments under this contract will be made to the contracted consultant only.

Q24. Clause 10f of General Conditions of Contract does not include provision for a
pandemic, can this be added?

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A24. The specific terms of the contract will be negotiated with the selected consultant.

Q25. Can experts/ YPs be individuals not employed by the consortium members at
the time of proposal, but whose engagement can be subject to contract award?
A25. Yes. In such case, their employment status should be indicated, at the time of the
proposal (independent or other).

Q26. Is it OK if YPs suggested during the bidding stage and those actually
employed for the assignment are different (subject to their number and
qualifications being comparable)? Who approves the list of participating YPs?
A26. Consultants should ensure that the experts nominated in their Technical Proposal
are available for the assignment. If alternatives are required, they should be able to
demonstrate equal or greater experience.

Q27. In the Assignment description section the US$151m is mentioned as an

approximate amount of the PIP. Does this number represent a "ceiling" or an
"estimate" of the budget? In the latter case, what is a permissible deviation from
the number (say, 10%, 30%)? And just to clarify, is this amount nominated in USD or EUR
(as other monetary figures in the tender documentation are in
EUR)?
A27. i) an estimate; any potential deviations will be agreed with the selected consultant,
the Bank and the government once draft PIP is prepared ii) USD.

Q28. Last paragraph of Section 4 of the TOR suggests the contract is a lump-sum,
however in the same section expenses related to traffic survey are mentioned
to be partially reimbursable. Does this mean the overall budget may be up to
EUR.550k (up to 490k for consultancy plus up to 60k for reimbursable part of
traffic survey costs)?
A28. Please see the answer to question 3.

Q29. We would like to query the cost stated for the Local Feasibility Study. In
Section 1.6 of the TOR it states ‘According to the Bank’s preliminary market
sounding, the total cost of the Local FS should not exceed EUR 25 thousand.’
However, in our experience this is higher, please confirm if this is correct and
includes all surveys.
A29. The anticipated cost for the Local FS is EUR 25,000. The consultant should
prepare their proposal based on their professional expertise and experience.

Q30. Shall international and national roads be excluded from the survey or shall
they be considered as potential “priority sections” as well as regional/local
roads?
A30. Sections shall be agreed with road authorities and the Bank. They are expected to
predominantly include regional/local roads, but may potentially include sections of
other categories as well.

Q31. Task 1.1 bullet 1: “Total length of Priority Sections and amount of investments
are expected to be comparable to length of Initial Sections” – what is the
approximate permissible deviation? (Say 10%, 30%...)
A31. This will be confirmed during the study. Overall, we do not expect significant
changes to length.

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Q32. Please confirm if there has been any previous E&S-related studies completed
for the Project?
A32. The Bank is not aware of such studies.

Q33. The ToR (Task 2.1) states the following: ‘During the Feasibility Study, the
Consultant shall collect the Environmental and Social baseline data in the
scope sufficient for the appropriate Environmental and Social Due Diligence,
which will be undertaken at a later stage under a separate contract.’
We would assume that the E&S baseline data will be collected for the
purposes of E&S Scoping only at this stage, and that should a full
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) be required, further baseline data
collection would be needed. Please, could you confirm this is the
EBRD’s understanding/ requirement?
A33. It is anticipated that E&S baseline data should be sufficient for scoping and
Environmental and Social Due Diligence. Full ESIA is not included into this assignment.

Q34. Could EBRD elaborate on the expected scope for the preliminary assessment
for potential involuntary resettlement and land acquisition, and whether this
assessment and the social scoping study are expected to be undertaken for the
main alignment scenario, or all identified scenarios?
A34. As part of the analysis and road selection process there may be a requirement to
provide social baseline information to be considered in the multi criteria analysis as part
of the selection process. However it is recommended that in line with the TOR that the
focus for the preliminary assessment should be on the selected roads / agreed main
alignment scenario.

Q35. Would EBRD expect primary data collection and any direct stakeholder
engagement (such as with potentially affected communities) as part of the
E&S scoping studies?
A35. Yes but the scope will need to be carefully defined by the social specialist to ensure
that any consultations are carefully managed so as not to raise expectations, particularly
in relation to land access and compensation issues.

Q36. Can we submit separate experts for Climate and for Resilience?
A36. As per the procurement notice, one role could be filled by more than one person.

Q37. Please confirm that topographic, geotechnical, geographical data shall be obtained
through desktop data and site visits, and not through field surveys (soil and water sampling,
laboratory analysis, etc.). Would it be up to the Consultant to determine to which extent
baseline collection shall be performed through field surveys and to which extent through
desktop studies.
A37. The Consultant shall advise the Bank what surveys it considers necessary for the
feasibility level study. Reimbursable traffic survey costs have been anticipated. The
consultant should propose a traffic survey budget, to include all costs that in their
professional opinion are required to complete the feasibility study.

Q38. The ToR mentions three scenarios: “reference” (or “do-minimum’) scenario, “with-
project” scenario and “do-something” (without project) scenario. Please confirm that within

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the economic analysis the Consultant shall assess and compare two main scenarios: (1)
“without-project” scenario and (2) “with-project” scenario.
A38. Yes.

Q39. Please confirm that the cost estimate for the Assignment (EUR 490,000, exclusive of
VAT) does not include the cost of traffic study (EUR 60,000), i.e. the total amount of
financial proposal may exceed EUR 490,000.
A39. It is included in the estimated assignment cost. Please see question 3.

Q40. It was noted that the cost of traffic study shall be budgeted in financial proposal as a
separate line. Should this line indicate separately the fees of traffic survey team members and
other expenses (manual counting, per-diem allowance, travel, miscellaneous)?
A40. No, just one line that contains all relevant fees and expenses for the traffic survey.

Q41. How the Consultant should certify actual expenses? Which documents should be
provided to the Bank as an evidence of actual expenses?
A41. As per the Rules for the Preparation of Invoices of the Consultancy Contract,
reimbursable expenses should be supported by corresponding receipts as proof of
payment. Specific requirements will be discussed with the selected consultant.

Q42. Will traffic survey report be accepted and paid for by the Bank separately from other
deliverables?
A42. No, it will be integrated within the main deliverables.

Q43. How the total amount of the Contract will be allocated among deliverables? Should the
Consultant suggest such allocation in its financial proposal? Or this allocation will be
performed at the pre-Contract negotiations stage?
A43. Specific payment terms will be agreed with the selected consultant.

Q44. Will the Consultant be provided with official data regarding road safety (e.g. statistics
on accidents) from Uzbek authorities (e.g. traffic police)?
A44. The consultant would need to prepare a data request and submit it to the
government.

Q45. Please confirm that the term “adjacent communities” refers to settlements located along
Priority Sections?
A45. Yes.

Q46. Please confirm that it is acceptable that the road safety specialist is not a certified
auditor under EU Directive 2008/96
A46. We do not expect the Road Safety expert to be a certified auditor however they
should be competent to undertake a road safety audits / inspections that meet the
requirements of the relevant EU Directive. This will also generally require the
individual to have experience in international design standards and good international
road safety engineering principles.

Q47. Should the cost of Local FS be budgeted as a separate line in the proposal? Will local
FS be accepted and paid for by the Bank separately from other deliverables?
A47. i) Yes. ii) it will be paid for as one of the deliverables.

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Q48. Is there any prescribed format / structure of a priority investment program (PIP) or it
would be up to the Consultant to determine the PIPs format / structure?
A48. The selected consultant will agree the format with the government and the Bank.

Q49. In the Consultant Profile, it is stated that “The Consultant will be a firm or a group of
firms preferably with previous project experience related to road projects in Central
Asia”. The concept of “group of firms” is of wide scope and, in our understanding, could
cover anything from a consortium of firms to a group of one firm and its
subconsultants. Thus, in that sense, would the subconsultants’ references also be considered
as demonstrating the required experience of the ‘group of firms’ and would be accounted for
on the first evaluation criterion listed in the Notice?
A49. Sub-contractors will be evaluated in line with the procurement notice.

Q50. We presume this task considers the ‘Priority Sections’ identified in Task 1.1, but this is
not mentioned. Please clarify.
A50. Unfortunately, it is not clear to which task this question refers to.

Q51. The ‘Initial road sections’ shown on the map in Appendix 1 include many urban road
sections, including streets through Urgench the regional capital. We understand that widening
and re-alignments are to be considered. Construction costs in urban areas are influenced by
the need to renew/upgrade associated infrastructure such as drainage, utilities, footways,
junctions/accesses, lighting, signaling etc. which cannot be estimated without detailed on the
ground survey. However, the ToR make no provision for such surveys. Please clarify how
the cost and timing for such surveys is to be accommodated in the project budget and
programme.
A51. The provided map is for illustration purposes only. Our understanding is that
Initial Sections include very limited number of urban roads in Urgench, if any. Field
investigations of priority roads, as required to inform the feasibility study and cost
estimates, is considered included in Task 1.1

Q52. The cost estimates for the FS are to be based on a ‘technical drawing scale of 1:25 000’
(Task 1.3) or 1 cm to 250 metres. Although we consider this an appropriate scale for
conceptual design, we are concerned the Local FS may not be acceptable without a more
detailed preliminary design to justify the costs and impacts. Please confirm that estimates
based on 1:25 000 mapping will be an acceptable basis for approval of the Local FS.
A52. 1:25,000 is reference scale for overall alignment and layout plans. However,
smaller scales (e.g. 1:5,000) may be required for urban sections, large cross-sections, etc.
as needed and applicable to feasibility level study.

Q53. We note that: ‘The substance of Local FS report is expected to be very similar to the
content of the Final Report, with main differences mostly in structure and required
formatting’. According to the Bank's preliminary market sounding, the total cost of the Local
FS should not exceed EUR 25 thousand.’ The amount appears generous given that very little
additional work is expected. Does the estimate include the cost of inputs from the key
experts?
A53. Please see the answer to question 29.

Q54. Does the estimate include fees to be paid to local authorities? Please specify what fees
would apply.

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A54. It’s not clear what fees are referred to. The total expected cost for the assignment
is EUR 490,000.00 and is expected to cover all costs outlined in the ToR.

Q55. Is the expenditure under this task to be treated as a reimbursable cost?

A55. Assuming that this question refers to the local feasibility study, this will be agreed
during contract negotiations.

Q56. The review is to ‘address the physical features in the preliminary design for this project
that may adversely affect road user safety when the road is constructed’. However, the ToR
do not require preparation of a preliminary design. Please clarify.
A56. The above quote refers to overall design of the project rather than ‘design’ in a
technical sense. The ToR do not require a preparation of a preliminary design.

Q57. The Consultant is required to include an amount of EUR 60,000 for traffic surveys. Is
this amount included in the budget of EUR 490,000 or is it a Provisional Sum?
A57. Please see answer to question 3.

Q58. The ToR state: ‘Moreover, in order to ensure efficient survey operation, suitable local
resources shall be sought, notably universities/colleges’. Please advise if the Consultant is
expected to enter into sub-contract with universities/colleges for the traffic surveys?
A58. The Consultant is not expected to enter into sub-contracts with
universities/colleges. It is up to the consultant to determine appropriate resources and
contract arrangements for this assignment.

Q59. Please advise the evaluation grid to be applied for the Experts CVs.
A59. CVs will be evaluated against the requirements outlined in the procurement notice
for each expert.

Q60. According to the TOR, the Consultant should prepare two versions of the Work plan:
“base case” involving international travel of international experts and “contingency case”
without international travel of experts due to COVID-19 restrictions. In this case, and based
on the above requirements, the Consultant will also have to prepare two options of his
Financial Proposal. In this regard, can the Consultant use only one option of experts’ work
schedule, and accordingly one option of the financial proposal?
A60. Please see the answer to question 14.

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